Trump’s Columbus Day tweet sparks Backlash

President Trump on Monday celebrated the controversial 15th-century explorer Christopher Columbus as an “inspiration.”

“Christopher Columbus’s spirit of determination & adventure has provided inspiration to generations of Americans,” Trump tweeted. “On #ColumbusDay, we honor his remarkable accomplishments as a navigator, & celebrate his voyage into the unknown expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.”

Christopher Columbus’s spirit of determination & adventure has provided inspiration to generations of Americans. On #ColumbusDay, we honor his remarkable accomplishments as a navigator, & celebrate his voyage into the unknown expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. https://t.co/Mg3dxRfPuN

Trump also shared a link to his proclamation marking Columbus Day, in which he noted, “We commemorate the achievements of this skilled Italian explorer and recognize his courage, will power, and ambition — all values we cherish as Americans.”

Blowback was swift and included the comment, “Columbus destroyed races, languages, and customs. He enslaved natives by invoking superstition. He’s no hero. He wasn’t even a pioneer.”

There was also a person who quipped, “We’re finally saying ‘Merry Columbus Day’ again!”

Another Twitter user pointed out, “Columbus did not discover North America, maybe Jamaica but not North America.”

It is, indeed, true that Christopher Columbus never set foot on what would become the United States of America, notes CNN.

“During four separate trips that started with the one in 1492, Columbus landed on various Caribbean islands that are now the Bahamas as well as the island later called Hispaniola,” according to the Washington Post.